Phone as ping pong paddle

Forward: Prototype

Pong Redux Cell-phone games usually rely on keystrokes to control the action, but Finnish researchers have developed a program called SymBall that could turn the whole phone into the controller. The software analyzes in real time images captured by a camera phone; from that information, it works out how the phone is being moved and the game responds accordingly. The demonstration application, which works on phones running the Symbian 60 operating system, is virtual Ping-Pong. The player wields the phone like a paddle to hit a virtual ball displayed on the phone's screen. Two users can play each other if their phones are connected wirelessly via Bluetooth, to the amusement of onlookers who can't see the ball, table, paddles, or net. Charles Woodward heads the multimedia team at VTT, Finland's national technology research center, that developed the technology. Woodward says the patented interaction method has attracted the interest of a game firm, and a more accurate version is in development.

Video here and demo sw here.

Will also found some similar mobile interface projects here including the cool fishing game above.